You mean a hill start? Easiest method is put the handbrake on, put a bit of gas on (usually need a bit more than when driving on a flat surface) and bring the clutch up to the biting point whilst in first. Release the handbrake and away you go.

Hill starts are a pretty fundamental part of driving. They're not easy, but your instructor should be giving you intensive tuition on them - and you should be practising every time you pull away, whether you're on a hill or on level road, so that you never roll backwards (road can be deceptive and seem flatter than it is).

If it's as bad as you make out, bloody get a new instructor. It's worth the bother if it's the difference between making you a safe or incompetent driver.

In the meantime: unless you are definitely facing downwards, the way to stop the car rolling backwards is to ensure you are applying some forward driving force to the car already when you release the brake. On the flat and on very shallow hills, all you need to do is engage first gear and bring the clutch up to the biting point before you release the footbrake or handbrake. The car will be trying to move forwards, and as you release the brake, it will be able to and will slowly start moving forwards.

If the hill is steeper, or in a particularly low-powered car, you may need to apply some accelerator to give the car the oomph to resist rolling backwards. Clearly you need your right foot to be free, so you MUST be on the handbrake to be able to do this. Simply apply a tiny amount of accelerator just before you find the biting point. Because you are giving the engine more strength, you will be able to find a stronger bite before the car wants to stall, and you may actually feel the car 'rear up' as you bring the clutch further up. Release the handbrake; the car will 'ping' forwards. Keep your feet still for two or three seconds, until the car has gathered a little speed; this will make for a smoother getaway, with less chance of stalling.

(Original post by Jonathan)
On the flat [...] all you need to do is engage first gear and bring the clutch up to the biting point before you release the footbrake or handbrake. The car will be trying to move forwards, and as you release the brake, it will be able to and will slowly start moving forwards.

I agree with everything in your post except for what's quoted above. I personally don't see any point in bringing the clutch to the biting point before releasing the brake on flat surfaces. I haven't got any break on if the surface is flat (ie. when the car stays still when I try to release it after coming to a stop).

For someone new to this stuff, handbrake hillstart is probably the best, as there's less risk of the engine stalling, possibly causing the car to roll backwards a lot.

hey apply the handbrake obviously then press the accelerator so your rev counter reads around halfway between the 2 and 3 marks (for normal setting off it will be between 1 and 2) then take the clutch up until you feel the bite and the car pull, increase your revs slightly and release the handbrake and ease the clutch the rest of the way up

(Original post by Bavarian Motor Works)
HAndbrake on
Lift clutch up till you feel a slight push foward and apply a bit of throttle.
Then apply more throttle as you lift the clutch entirely.

Just practice it.

Teach a learner to bite and then add throttle, and they will stall unacceptably often.
Teach a learner to set the throttle and then find the bite, and they will rarely stall when doing a hill start unless they move their feet too quickly as they pull away.

The whole point of setting the accelerator is to allow you to find a harder bite. If you find an appropriately hard bite with no gas and the car doesn't stall straight away, you don't need the gas at all. (If you roll backwards anyway, the bite wasn't hard enough).

(Original post by HJV)
I agree with everything in your post except for what's quoted above. I personally don't see any point in bringing the clutch to the biting point before releasing the brake on flat surfaces. I haven't got any break on if the surface is flat (ie. when the car stays still when I try to release it after coming to a stop).

For someone new to this stuff, handbrake hillstart is probably the best, as there's less risk of the engine stalling, possibly causing the car to roll backwards a lot.

I agree that there is no point in doing a hill start on an entirely level or downhill road. Unfortunately, roads are very rarely totally level, and if a test candidate, as an inexperienced driver, slightly misjudges a nearly-flat surface and rolls back even an inch, they will fail. It's not worth the risk.

But leaving the car with no brake when you are stationary is highly dangerous. The car is not anchored - so that if you are hit from behind, you will travel some distance. If you are waiting at a junction, you will end up straight in the path of speeding traffic. Even the footbrake is not enough in these circumstances: the handbrake is a necessity as being hit from behind will send your foot backwards off the brake pedal.

Less importantly, cars can start to roll slowly even after appearing to be stable for a number of seconds, and you probably wouldn't notice at first. "Why did you roll into my car?" "I thought it was probably a flat road, so I was sitting with no brake."